New Era Dawning
by Yukari Rin
Summary: Written for the June round at the Narutoflashfic community on livejournal.  Otogakurecentric, spoilers if you do not know who Karin is.


**Title:** "New Era Dawning"  
**Requester:** Ckret2  
**Author:** Yukari Rin   
**Pairings/Characters:** Tayuya, Karin, Kabuto, Orochimaru, miscellaneous Sound-nin.  
**Word Count:** 1,339  
**Genres:** Gen.  
**Rating:** K  
**Squicks/Spoilers:** If you don't know who Karin is, turn away now.  
**Notes:** I apologize for any OOCness. This will probably be divergent of canon once Kishimoto gives us more details on Karin. I hope you enjoy it! 

"**New Era Dawning"**

Tayuya limped through the halls, her single crutch too low to do any real good. Her torso was wrapped in bandages beneath her loose clothing, the ash-colored cloth running down her arms and legs. If strangers glanced at her she would have looked like a sour-faced girl who met only hardship. She'd quickly prove them, of course.

She passed the rooms where her "comrades" were being cared for, but didn't check in on them. They may be a team, but they weren't so weak to be friendly with each other. Twelve days had passed since the fight and Tayuya was itching for another. Their spars had been getting more intense recently, Sakon had noted one afternoon when he was feeling observant. It could only mean that Orochimaru was getting ready to send them out somewhere, but for what none of them could guess.

Footsteps sounded around the corner with muffled voices speaking low. One was clearly female, and spoke much less often than the male with her. She rounded the corner and saw a group of five or six ninja escorting a girl who looked no younger than her. In the darkened halls it was difficult to make out the girl's features, but Tayuya felt her eyes on her, being completely examined by the newcomer. The girl looked fresh and unguarded. How easy would it be to kill her now? How much easier if she wasn't injured? The girl only raised her chin at Tayuya as if to say she wasn't afraid of her, and Tayuya rose to her full height (her imposing demeanor made up for her shortness) to force the girl into intimidation. Claiming "this is my territory" in a childlike territorial sense. The escort nin paused and bowed to Tayuya before moving past her. The girl wrinkled her nose as she passed, clearly displeased with Tayuya. The flutist hissed and glared at the girl's back.

She wasn't like the other shinobi brought to any of the bases, that much was clear.

Her heart was pounding. it had been since arriving and walking through the dank halls that she would now be calling home. The girl in the hallways and the nearly bald boy being treated in a room that had caught her attention were eyesores she hoped she wouldn't be meeting on a regular basis. There was an extra darkness around them that unnerved her, and she wondered if there were more people like them nearby.

The captain that had led her through the winding tunnels of the base knocked on a large door and called out his name. She swallowed and fisted her hand, digging her nails into the base of her palm. It was silent for longer than she would have liked and at last the door opened. She recognized the person who had opened it - Kabuto? Yes, that was his name. Orochimaru's right-hand man. She gave him a small bow before stepping into the dim room.

It had been several months since they had last seen each other, and Kabuto's careful inspection did not escape her. "You look much improved from our last meeting," he commented as he led her through the dim room to their leader's bedside. She said nothing as they approached the bedridden Sannin. She bowed low. "It is an honor to be called upon you, my lord," she spoke clearly. She rose slowly and met his glance before he began speaking.

"You've mastered your powers?"

"Yes, my lord," she replied proudly. It had only been a year since the last experiment on her and she had quickly mastered her powers in the time he had been busy with his plans of Konoha's destruction.  
"I'm sending you to the South Base, in my absence you will be in charge or making sure it runs smoothly," he informed her, coughing heavily when he had finished. Kabuto held a glass of water to his lips and he drank. The news sent a shiver down her back. He trusted her enough with such an important task, it truly was an honor. She let her mind drift to possible futures and snapped back to attention when he continued. "The Sound Five will be busy with another task so you will have to rely on your own abilities. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru. I will not fail." She bowed again and was dismissed.

She arrived at the South Base in good time, despite having to sneak through the Fire Country more carefully than usual. The current head had not been informed of her arrival and fumbled about trying to make her welcome, and she could easily see why Orochimaru was replacing him. He had grown comfortable in his position and was so relaxed she could easily best him in an elementary spar. It was a tempting idea, but she waited until supper to inform him that he was no longer needed.

"Relieved of duty? Replaced by a mere child? This is outrageous!" he cried, slamming his hands on the table. Karin merely lifted a delicate brow and chewed on the supper that had been prepared quickly for her.

"Lord Orochimaru will be here himself quite soon, along with the members of the Sound Five," she informed him. He paled at the information - even the lowest ranked Oto-nin knew of the Sound Five, "if you have a problem with your demotion maybe he will be gracious and grant you an audience." She narrowed her eyes at him. "That is, if you make it until he arrives."

The older shinobi sputtered and reached for a kunai.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she warned in a singsong voice, picking her cup up. "For if you draw any weapon against me, I will have no choice but to kill you." She smiled at him from behind the cup in her hands. "And I really don't want to kill anyone on my first day. A base commander needs people to command, after all."

The threat made him pause for a moment before he smoothly pulled the kunai out and threw it at her. The tip struck the tiny gap in her glasses where the arms folded against the back of the lenses. The force of the throw knocked the frames off her face and onto the floor beside her. "That wasn't a miss."

She glanced down at her feet and noticed the cracked glass in her frames. "No one sees me without my glasses off unless I want them to," she spoke lowly, pushing back in her seat. "And you do not have my permission. She looked to the other shinobi in the room who were watching nervously. "This could get messy," she smiled. "Any last words?"

When Orochimaru arrived a month later he found the ninja stationed at the base remarkably well-improved in their skills. There was nothing wanting in the base, and all his followers were attending to their duties with a dedication missing at his other bases. Karin walked out to meet the small entourage that he had brought with him, bowing low and smiling. "Welcome, Lord Orochimaru," she greeted. Some of the shinobi behind her looked confused, this was Orochimaru? But he looked so different.

Orochimaru nodded at her greeting and motioned to a handsome boy near her own age. "This boy is very important to me, Karin. Whatever he desires, grant it."

She bowed to him, eying him with a bit more than casual interest. "Yes, sir."

The boy looked at her with blank eyes, disinterest obvious in his expression. Getting close to this boy would be helpful for her own rise through the ranks, and her master had told her to serve gim. Karin stepped aside and motioned for Orochimaru to lead the way. As the boy passed she shuddered and gasped quietly. He was no ordinary boy, not with the power that emanated from him, that much was clear. She knew he was to be Orochimaru's new container, and she vowed silently to follow him even as he was.


End file.
